Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The courses I took in France were diverse, and pushed me to think more profoundly and to improve my French. The professors were passionate and knowledgeable about what they were teaching, and made sure we could reach them whenever we needed them - be it for questions about our homework or just a grammar quirk we weren't sure of. The three-hour courses were the hardest in terms of staying attentive for the entire time (but that goes for classes in English, too), and we were always given ample breaks in the middle of class. For class, we'd do write analyses or read articles, then engage in - or lead! - discussions, give oral presentations, or simply offer up an opinion. The professors made sure we weren't doing the same thing all the time: we would watch movies, read articles, books, or comic strips, discuss what we had read and our own experiences. The one lecture-based class we had was mandatory: French Cultural Patterns, a class that was designed to provide us insight into the fundamental values that governed French culture.

On-site administration of your program

The AUCP's entire administration was really helpful and supportive: we had an entire week devoted to orientation designed to help us get accustomed to being in France and surviving the day-to-day. Our program director met with us after the first three weeks to discuss what our goals for the semester were and to see how we were holding up. One thing I would change was that we didn't get the forms for our midterm evaluation of the program until well after the mid-semester mark, so it seemed like there were only a couple weeks between filling out that one and the final program evaluation. Other than that, before arriving the program sent me emails and literature letting me know what to expect; I handled my visa on my own, but I do know that the program was instrumental in helping other students obtain theirs.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived just outside of Aix, off the Route d'Eguilles. The house - designed by my host father - was huge and beautiful, complete with pool and garden. <br /><br /> The program selected host families for us based on a short questionnaire we filled out. I always felt safe, both in 'centre ville' in Aix and in my neighborhood - even when walking around at three in the morning. Provence in general is beautiful, and Aix (and my host home!) were no exception. I took the bus to get to the center of town, where my school was.

I'm not a picky eater, and I made sure to try everything my host mom cooked - which was all delicious. Over the course of the semester, I also took a culinary tour of Aix - which, for a small French town rather out in the country, has a good number of Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese restaurants. Steack-frites with the fries stuffed inside, croissants, tiny cups of espresso, crepes filled with Nutella and bananas, snails in butter and parsley sauce...I ate it all! My recommendation to any student studying in Aix or in France is to try as much as possible, and to always try to eat somewhere different!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The things I will remember most from my stay in France were my vacation in Paris with my host family's family - the days spent trekking around the city with my host mom, trying to explain baseball to her and letting her show me her old stomping ground; wandering through the open-air and Christmas markets held weekly and starting in December, respectively; and going to the Arts et Metiers's ball to mingle with the handsome, uniformed engineers. The program really wanted us to find our own things to do - with our host families or French friends - but they did organize both a Thanksgiving dinner and a "Young Talent" night - though I couldn't attend Thanksgiving, "Young Talent" was a lot of fun - to see the artwork that my classmates had done, and to see them perform a scenes from the plays they had studied.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I always felt safe in the city - but I also made sure that I was always aware of my surroundings. Our program had insurance for us to reimburse us for any medical costs we had. Fortunately, I had no need of these services, but I had friends that did require doctors and were duly reimbursed.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

While I came into the program with a solid background in reading and writing, I felt that my speaking and listening skills were not up to par. Spending the semester in this immersion setting allowed me to improve on all four skills, giving me especially more confidence in my speaking skills.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Americans